Buyer Personas, Revised and Expanded, 2nd Edition

10Decide What to Say to Buyers

A few years back, Linda Stone, a former Apple and Microsoft executive, coined the term continuous partial attention (CPA) to describe an increasingly pervasive mental state unique to the digital age. Stone defined CPA as the state of mind that people experience as they try to pay attention to multiple sources of information. The desire to optimize opportunities and maintain human connections has always been a fundamental aspect of humanity, but our “always on, anywhere, anytime” environment has ratcheted up the stakes.

Catching someone's attention and being heard amid this streaming torrent of information is the greatest challenge of contemporary marketing. The buyers we need to persuade are navigating an overwhelming flood of information, rapidly processing and eliminating anything that doesn't instantly connect with their priorities and expectations. That ever-present “x” button is our biggest threat as buyers quickly delete any e-mail and close any document that doesn't tell them something that clearly delivers value.

Will Your Current Approach Work?

Against this backdrop we can begin to see the futility of traditional approaches for choosing the words and topics that engage buyers. Whether selecting themes for an important campaign, preparing for an upcoming launch, or planning for a major event, those who are trying to influence buyers are probably quite knowledgeable about the value delivered by your product or service, as well as your ...